


Pursuit

by StarSock9



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, POV First Person, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24531688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSock9/pseuds/StarSock9
Summary: All I want is to have a good time exploring the galaxy with the Best Friend Squad. Unfortunately, someone can't kick the habit of running off on her own.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Kudos: 68





	Pursuit

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "pursuit" for my writing group. Thank you to EmbarrassedElephant, dispatchwithlove, Hibbidyhai, and Amintadefender for your feedback!

I’m beginning to think she likes being chased. Catra, love of my life, never tires of these games. The sky is full of stars, surrounded by new worlds to discover. Each new world we visit, the people are learning about magic and freedom. We are traveling the stars together, the Best Friend Squad. Or at least we are supposed to be, but someone just can’t seem to kick her lone wolf habit.

“Hey, Adora,” she says, her voice muffled inside her space suit. Her ears and tail twitch, and she gives me a mischievous fang-bearing grin. Melog chirps and runs around in circles. “Bet you can’t catch me before sundown.”

“No! Catra, this planet might not be safe!” I reach out and touch her shoulder. “Don’t go running off on your own, we have to stick together until we find out whether these people are friendly!”

Catra laughs. Her voice is harsh and raspy, and normally I love the sound of it. I’m not so fond of it when she’s threatening to put herself in danger, yet again. “Adora, you saved me from the dictator who controlled almost the entire universe for thousands of years. I think you can handle any small-timer warlord who manages to get his dirty hands on me,” she says in a mocking tone.

I take the bait. I always do. I put both hands on her shoulders and turn her to face me. “Has it occurred to you that maybe I don’t want some dirty small-handed war-timer getting his lords on you?” I yell despite myself. Melog cocks his head and blinks at me, and even though he doesn’t understand what I’m saying, I can tell he’s judging me.

“You’re so adorable when you’re flustered!” Catra says, and I feel my face heating up. There’s a slight possibility I may have mixed up a few words there. “Catch me if you can,” she says and blows me a kiss, then bounds off on all fours, her tail proudly swishing up in the air. She and Melog look so wild and natural running side by side like that. I’m surprised Catra doesn’t run on all fours more often. She’s fast when she does. Which, in this case, is very irritating.

I groan loudly and storm back to the cockpit.

“There you are!” Glimmer says immediately when I enter the atrium. “We’re just about ready to head out!”

“Oh, good,” I grumble, “Catra’s run off again. We should get going as soon as possible, so suit up.”

“No need,” Bow answers. “The atmosphere’s breathable.”

“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” I say. My friends’ unhurried attitudes are really getting my goat. I pull Bow away from his tinkering under the ship’s panels and drag him towards Glimmer. I stare her down and shove my hand towards her expectantly.

Glimmer ignores my attitude. “Right-o, here we go!” she chimes, taking our hands and teleporting us to the gates of the town visible on the horizon. It’s the only sign of civilization around, so it’s a safe bet Catra’s headed here too. We enter the town and it seems like a perfectly peaceful little village.

“Wait a sec…” Bow says as we walk through the cobbled streets. “If you guys didn’t know the atmosphere was breathable when Catra ran off…” he turns to me with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Does that mean she’s running around in her cute little space suit?”

“Yes, Bow, she’s in her cute little space suit, and she could be in serious trouble by now, so can you please try to take this seriously?” I snap. I immediately regret the tone of my voice and stare down at my feet.

“Adora, it’s fine. This planet seems nothing but peaceful. There’s nothing to worry about,” Glimmer says, running ahead of me so she can look up at my face. I turn away. I know she’s irritated with me. She’s always been slow to forgive, and Catra has given her ample reason for suspicion.

I take a deep breath before I answer. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you, Bow, it’s just… I’m worried.”

“Would you just relax already?” Glimmer asks. The flippancy of her tone raises my hackles again, and my fingernails sink deeper into the flesh of my hands. I walk faster so Glimmer has to jog to keep up. “Catra held her own against Hordak and Shadow Weaver for years. She even managed to trick and manipulate Horde Prime for a while, all on her own, with no backup. You worry too much. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself.” Her kind words soften my temper, and I stop walking. I forget sometimes how much Glimmer has changed. She has grown so wise.

“You’re right, Glimmer,” I say, and I look up at her with tears in my eyes. “Thank you.” My best friends pull me into a hug, and their warmth gives me strength.

Feeling better after my outburst, I reflect on why I was so upset. Catra has faced dangers beyond what most people can imagine, and came out alive, all on her own. She may not be in any real danger, but I wish she’d get used to having friends by her side that she can depend on. I wish she’d let _me_ support her, at the very least.

The locals are nothing but kind and friendly. This planet was of no interest to Horde Prime, so aside from a few clones and bots posted at the gates, these people have never known any serious conflict. It’s a relief, really. Etheria and so many other planets were torn apart by the horrors of war, so it’s nice to know that peace persisted even in the darkness of Horde Prime’s eternal reign. Wherever Catra is, it’s highly unlikely she’s in any danger, much less any danger she can’t handle. I take a deep sigh and try to calm down. I’m driving myself crazy over nothing.

I watch these people. For them, peace is their way of life, the only way they’ve ever known. I’ve never been anything but a soldier. My friends have helped me learn to become something more, but I’ve always had to fight, always had to be strong, the warrior in me is always there. Maybe it’s my fault that Catra wants to run. Have I slipped back into acting like her Force Captain again? Have I failed to make her feel like part of the team? I nearly lost her, so many times, and I can’t bear to lose her again.

Eventually, we round a corner and find Catra making nice with the locals, sitting on the side of a fountain letting little girls braid flowers into her hair while she chats with their mothers. Melog is snoozing in the sun, his tail twitching happily as one of the women scratches behind his ears. One of the girls has her helmet wobbling perched on her tiny head. Catra spots us, and whispers something to the girls. They pull out their pretty pink ribbons and tie them around Catra’s ankles and wrists in tidy bows. “Oh no! I’ve been taken prisoner! Who can ever save me?” she yells dramatically, projecting her voice across the courtyard.

“Aww, she took her helmet off,” Bow says, disappointed.

I feel a pang of pain as Catra mocks my concern. I stomp towards her with my fists clenched. “Why did you run from me?” I ask, locking eyes with her.

She unties the ribbons and stands. She’s sheepish, and I can see that she’s feeling guilty for making me worry. Melog snuggles up to my legs, purring loudly and rubbing his cheeks against my shins. Ears lowered, Catra mutters, “I… for years, I thought… you left me behind. But now, I know… I know you’ll never leave me. I know you’ll chase me whenever I run. I like it.” She shuffles back and forth a little and searches my expression with her eyes. “I love you, Adora,” she says as reaches out for my hand.

My eyes heat up with tears. Here I am, getting pulled into that invisible void all over again, and she feels it. She understands. She sees me falling into despair, and she’s reaching out to pull me back up.

I take her outstretched hand in mine. She pulls me from the brink. She saves me with her love, just as I’m about to fall. And I know she always will. “I love you too,” I say, and pull her in for a kiss.

“Awwwwwwww,” Bow and Glimmer sigh, killing the mood.

Catra grins and bounds away onto one of the nearby thatched roofs. “Hey, Adora!” she yells from the roof. “I didn’t say ‘find me,’ I said, ‘catch me.’ You haven’t caught me yet! You have until sundown,” she says with a wink, and disappears behind the roof.

I feel a smile spread across my face and feel the tension drain from my shoulders. Now I understand. She doesn’t run to get away from me. She runs because she knows that no matter how far she goes, even into the den of an intergalactic overlord, I’ll still come for her. She’s a brat, but she’s right. I suppose I can have some fun with these little games she plays.

“For the honor of Grayskull!” I bellow, and magic courses through me as I transform into She-Ra. Stronger and faster, it takes me less than a minute to track her down and tackle her into a bale of hay. I let my transformation fade, and I kiss her. “Caught you. I win.” The hay makes her sneeze, and I laugh and kiss her again. Imitating Bow’s voice, I say, “You have the cutest little sneeze!” and boop her nose.

“Yeah, yeah, you win. Don’t have to rub salt in the wound,” she says.

I caress her cheek with my hand and gaze into her eyes. “You can run, anywhere you want, run to the edge of the universe you want to. I’ll keep chasing you. And I’ll catch you every time.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've ever written something in first person. I identify with Adora's compulsive perfectionism so much, and I think now that she and Catra are together, that trait of hers will likely continue to affect their relationship. After all they went through, they both have so much healing to do, and I think sometimes in their future Adora will get so focused on helping Catra through everything that she sometimes forgets her own pain and trauma. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
